IoT and your home: Smarten IT!

Boring home appliances are becoming easier to use and more efficient, thanks to a dose of IoT.

IoT air cooler.

Household electrical appliances have been the lifesavers of urban families for decades. But it is only in recent weeks that they have 'smartened' up, becoming, simpler and more efficient - thanks to what is being called Internet of Things technology -- that is making them Internet driven. The corollary is -- they can almost always be controlled from a smart phone. Starting this week, we look at some smart lifesavers that have been launched in India recently.

Intelligent geyser: The V-Guard Verano can be scheduled to match bath-time

The storage-type water heater is a bathroom fixture in millions of home. It is also a serious power guzzler -- and waster. Because it switches on and off all day to maintain hot water temperature, reheating the tank multiple times even when there is no usage. V-Guard recently re-imagined the product to launch what is claimed as India's first 'intelligent' water heater, Verano. It lets you set time and temperature from anywhere, using a mobile app, scheduling it to provide hot water only when you need it; allowing multiple family members to set their shower slots and preferred temperature; it keeps an eye on the electricity and even generates an estimate bill and self diagnoses problems to generate a service request. It is available in 15-litre and 25-litre sizes for Rs 16,750 and Rs 19,000 respectively.

The smart air cooler: Bajaj has launched the first IoT-driven room cooler

Summer is here -- but not everyone needs -- or can afford -- an air conditioner .If you live in a dry region, water-based air cooler are a good option. These days they tend to look sleek and classy -- and arte less noisy than first generation Desert coolers that are still a familiar site in Delhi offices. Bajaj has just launched the first Internet-fueled air cooler , the Cool.iNXT. It can be accessed by smart phone from anywhere (nice to switch it on, a few minutes before you reach home!). You can set a combo of 5 speeds and 4 cooling levels and these in turn are automatically adjusted with changes in the ambient temperature and humidity. An ice chamber adds to the cooling. The product is now in select branches of Croma and costs Rs 15,999.